Beer Radar

Lemons optional

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For the record, I take mine without. Should be lots of fun next Thursday at Triumph in Old City.

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On the air

I’ll be Shaving with Smerconish on Friday a.m. on the Big Talker, 1210 a.m. It’s part of Miichael’s bald movement, broadcasting from Shaving Grace Barbers in Exton.

But I’ll be damned if I’m letting them get close to me with a razor. The only head I’m shaving is the one atop my glass of beer. Tune in about 8:30 a.m.

Oh, yeah, and before I forget: I’ll be hanging out at Borders at Broad & Chestnut in Center City tomorrow at lunchtime. Stop by, pick up a copy of Joe Sixpack’s Philly Beer Guide (the perfect Father’s Day gift) and I’ll scribble my name all over the cover.

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Philly Beer Week 2009

Mark your calendars: It’s March 6-15, 2009.

And yes, just like ‘08, that’s 10 straight days of celebration in the Best Beer-Drinking City in America. We’ll be announcing more details very shortly, including info on new festivals, tours and (keep your fingers crossed) a very cool Philly Beer Week HQ.

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Santa report

One of the chapters in my upcoming book on Christmas beer is about the controversy over the use of Santa on beer labels. The Shelton Brothers importers have had their share of run-ins with state authorities over the issue. Now, they’re up against the feds.

Here’s the label for Tsjseeses Belgian X-Mas Ale that was recently rejected by the TTB, and its terse reasoning: “The image of the character appears as if he is under the influence of the alcohol or drugs. This touts the effect of the product on the consumer and the alcohol content of the product. Change the image.”

Note: This is the second rejection for this label. In the original version, Santa was surrounded by smoke which, partner Dan Shelton said, “I guess the government took to be marijuana.”

He added: “The smoke is gone now, but I guess they don’t like the googly eyes.”
 

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Another excuse to drink

Beer blogger Dr. Joel of the Grain Bill is setting up the Bridge Street Tasting Series out in Phoenixville. If you live or work out in the Valley Forge area, here’s a good chance to meet other beer enthusiasts while sampling some great flavors.

The first one is June 5th at Earthmart. Details here.

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Frontier taverns

 

Here’s yet another bar opening in a fringe neighborhood. Look for The Institute to open at 12th and Green in the next two to three weeks.

Once known as “Brandywine,” this is a neighborhood - north of Spring Garden, east of Broad, south of Girard, west of 9th Street and the rail viaduct - with a seedy, occasionally dangerous rep. I covered at least a half-dozen murders there in the ’90s, most tied to its incredibly shabby PHA units. It’s home to the city’s biggest gun shop and its biggest intake center for the homeless.

But if you’ve driven up 13th Street lately, you know the section is changing. Those old housing units were bulldozed long ago and replaced with tidy public housing. The expansion of Chinatown has brought a bunch of suppliers to the vicinity. The continuing development along N. Broad Street has spurred a bunch of loft rehabs (so many, in fact, that Realtors are calling it the Loft District).

I think we’ve got a trend here. Like Fishtown and that Newbold section of South Philly (scene of earlier urban frontier taverns), the neighborhood’s housing is relatively inexpensive, it’s close to Center City and near public trans. Is The Institute on the cutting edge of the city’s next hot, new neighborhood? Hell if I know - I write about beer.

Speaking of which, here’s The Institute’s initial rundown: Twelve taps, including Founders Centenial IPA, O’Reilly’s Stout, PBC Walt Wit and Kenzinger, Flying Fish Farmhouse Summer Ale, Sam Adams Cherry Wheat, Troegs Hopback or Sunshine Pils, plus a handful of macros. No kitchen initially, but maybe something by the end of summer.

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This week’s column

Savor, the big beer & food festival in D.C. this weekend, is the topic of this week’s column, with the underlying question: Will beer ever edge out wine as the go-to beverage of gourmet cuisine.

I know a lot of Philly folks are headed down I-95 (don’t forget to stop by State Line Liquors at the Elkton exit). If you’re staying in the area, remember Saturday is the 8th Annual Brandywine Valley Craft Brewers Festival at Iron Hill Brewery (30 E. State St., Media). Held on the street outside the brewpub, the event features craft beer from 25 of the region’s top breweries and raises funds for the Media Youth Center. I’ll be signing copies of  “Joe Sixpack’s Philly Beer Guide.” Taps pour 1-5 p.m., $30/$35 at the door, 610-627-9000.

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Mrs. Sixpack

I’ve been a bit light on blogging lately, but I’ve got a good excuse: I’m helping out my better half with her new business. Mrs. Sixpack - formerly a fellow hard-as-nails reporter at the Daily News - has gone soft on me and opened up a (gasp!) yoga studio.

It’s Yoga on the Ridge in downtown Roxborough. Here’s the link.

I told her my main goal in life, now, is to convince nearby Coyle’s Cafe (directly across the street) to actually serve some decent beer so I can hang out there until she’s unfolded herself from Downward Facing Dog. In the meantime, you can find the two of us bending elbows (that’s yoga, right?) at Dawson St. Pub or the Old Eagle. 

And what kind of beers do yogis drink? Ommmmmegang!

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Damn Spamn

I’m going to turn off comments until I can can the ringtone spam. Sorry.

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Burn, burn, burn

Think beer aged in bourbon barrels puts hair on your chest? Wait till you get a taste of Iron Hill Brewery’s latest, Ring of Fire Porter. It’s aged in, yes, used Tabasco hot sauce barrels. Word is it might take a day after consumption to fully appreciate its fiery finish.

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